When our elder daughter was in France, many years ago, she sent us a postcard from Barfleur. I was interested to see the place for myself when we were in Normandy and as it happened my brother and his wife had a house exchange in a house very close to Barfleur.
This lovely house was built around the 1880s and it was full of character. The house also had quite a history in that it had been requisitioned by the German occupying army during World War II. At the end of the war the owner of the house refused to move back into the house as it had been occupied by German officers and so the house was passed on to her daughter. We stayed with my brother and his wife for a few days and had a wonderful time visiting the local tourist attractions but the highlight of our stay was an evening meal with the next door neighbours. Our French was not marvellous and neither was their English but we had a truly enjoyable night. Laughing uproariously at our lack of language and yet understanding each other perfectly!
Barfleur is a very small village on the coast of Normandy. In the Middle Ages it was the main port for departure to England.
You can see that it was an overcast day when we were there.
Again, the age of artifacts in Europe reinforces how young Australia is as a European occupied country.
This medallion marks the Norman departure from Barfleur for the Battle of Hastings.
What a beautiful house, and I love the picture of the harbour; the boats look as if they’re sitting on a sheet of silk.